Unit 2

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Unit Two: Politics and Elections

Common Writing Assessment: Reflective Paper

Essential Questions

Chapter 5
  1. What are political parties, and how do they function in our two-party system?
  2. How has the two-party system affected the history of American government?
  3. What role have minor parties played in American politics?
  4. How are political parties organized at the federal, State, and local levels?

Chapter 6
  1. How have voting rights changed over the course of American history?
  2. What are the qualifications for voting, and how have they changed over time?
  3. How did the US fulfill the promise of the 15th Amendment?
  4. What factors influence voter behavior?

Chapter 7
  1. What methods are used to choose candidates for public office?
  2. How are elections conducted in the United States?
  3. What role does money play in electoral politics?

Chapter 8
  1. What is public opinion, and what factors help to shape it?
  2. How is public opinion measured and used?
  3. How has the development of different media helped inform the public about politics

Chapter 9
  1. What roles do interest groups play in our political system
  2. What are the different types of interest groups at work in American society
  3. In what ways do interest groups attempt to influence government and public opinion?

Unit Two Media

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Unit Two Exam Review

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Unit Two Vocabulary Terms

Chapter 5
 Political Parties

political party

Ideology

political spectrum

platform

partisanship

bipartisan

consensus

coalition

one-party system

two-party system

multiparty system

proportional representation

incumbent

precinct

Big Tent Philosophy
Chapter 6
 Voters and Voter Behavior

suffrage

electorate

disenfranchised

poll tax

grandfather clause

registration

gerrymandering

off-year election

political efficacy

gender gap

party identification

straight-line ticket voting

split-ticket voting

independent

absentee ballot
Chapter 7
 The Electoral Process

nomination

general election

balancing the ticket

caucus

closed primary

open primary

Super Tuesday

national convention

ballot

absentee voting

coattail effect

precinct

political action committee (PAC)

Super PAC

subsidy

hard money

soft money

Federal Election Commission (FEC)
Chapter 8
 Mass Media and Public Opinion

public opinion

mass media

propaganda

interest group

public opinion poll

sample

margin of error (MoE)
Chapter 9
 Interest Groups

interest group

public policy

labor union

lobbying

lobbyists

grass-roots